Where Art Thou, Brady?

 Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Sure, computer gamers from the mid-1980s would scratch their heads over that one for a few years, but here in Ottawa it’s a different type of game: Where in the world is Brady Tkachuk? St. Louis? Hunkered down in Ottawa . . .

Rebuild over, next steps please?

 Photo: Courtest OttawaSenators.com Back-to-back against the Ontario rival. Great way to get started, eh? For the Ottawa Senators ‘getting started’ has been the tale of the tape since the spring of 2017. Making it all the way to the Eastern Conference finale – against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh

Locked On Senators: A podcast for fans, by the fans

 ABOVE: Ross Levitan and Brandon Piller co-host the Locked On Senators Podcast. It was an after-class downtown Toronto subway ride in 2016 that brought two future broadcasters together. Brandon Piller and Ross Levitan, both students at the College of Sports Media, were headed home when Piller took a seat next to

No man is an island

 ABOVE: Islanders and Tampa, game 5 of the playoffs. Photo: NBCSN Well, at the very least, there’s the Islanders. Let’s just say if I was in Las Vegas my shirt would already have been lost (by my own accord). Betting on who does what and when and to who is

Leafs entire self-perspective on the line . . . again

 ABOVE: Nylander has been the best Leafs forward. When one school teacher unwittingly causes another teacher's dismissal, he is challenged to an after-school fight (premise). Yeah, it was a truly awful film (Fist Fight) but doesn’t it ring truly true for the Toronto Maple Leafs who have to face their

Future looking rosy in Senator land

 The heat was on last week after what appeared in this corner of the page. Maybe a little too harsh? Unsympathetic? Sure. Perhaps. But after another solid week on the ice, the Ottawa Senators surely appear that they’re about to take another step forward. There’s just too much going well

Time to get a move on, Ottawa

 Put up or shut up. Can Ottawa folk finally agree we are there? I mean, come on, the leeway given this franchise (that would be the Ottawa Senators) – especially by some members of the local media – for the past 3-4 years has been especially generous. Especially. And especially

Leafs-Jets setting intriguing tone

 Maybe next year Johnny Senators Hockey Fan will be invested in the realm of baited-breath as well. But for this year? Enjoy what lies ahead . . . regardless. The playoffs loom and for close followers of the all-Canadian division, it promises to be a Christmas-morning-style experience. First off, the

The Ottawa Senators are 20 games away from finishing this shortened 2020-21 season

 The Senators score during the third period in their 3-1 victory over the Flames, March 24. (PHOTO: NHL.COM/SENATORS) The Sens sit eleven points out of the final playoff spot in the North Division currently held by the Montreal Canadiens. It may sound like less than you’d expect given how poorly the

Goalie woes continue, prospects shine, and Karlsson makes news

 ABOVE:  Joey Daccord injured himself in the third period of Wednesday's game against the Canucks. (PHOTO: SPORTSNET.CA) The Ottawa Senators played two games last week, and both were spirited efforts against the Vancouver Canucks. Ottawa played well enough to win each game, but, unfortunately for them, both ended in an overtime loss. Canucks

Rivalry week did not disappoint

 Here’s how last week shaped-out for the Ottawa Senators: Monday – 6-5 win vs Toronto Wednesday – 2-1 loss vs Toronto Thursday – 7-3 loss vs Toronto Sunday – 3-2 win vs Montreal That’s a two-win week for the Sens – a continuation of their trend in the right direction.

The Sens get a bounce, and “Hoggy” bounces back

 After beating the Montreal Canadiens and snapping a nine-game winless streak two weeks ago, the Ottawa Senators lost their next four games, and almost lost every game last week. Almost. Enter Brady Tkachuk. The Senators began the week with two losses to the Edmonton Oilers, followed by a loss to

Senators a ‘fragile group’ after stretch of losses

 Well, where do I start? It's going to be a long season for the Ottawa Senators. In three games versus the Vancouver Canucks this week, the Senators combined for 116 shots on goal, besting Vancouver’s tally of 95. The combined score was 16 to 3 in favour of Vancouver, and

Camps open league-wide, prompting questions and answers

 Above: Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk This past Sunday hockey returned across the board in the National Hockey League with the opening of training camps. The Ottawa Senators, one of seven teams to not qualify for the playoffs last season, opened up a few days earlier on Dec. 30th. And so it

Naughty or nice: the ABC’s of Xmas

 It’s been one helluva year, said everyone everywhere. Even in the usual sanctified domain of the sports world, the Year of COVID-19 hit hard and fast and repeatedly. But we’re moving on here, good people. ‘Tis the season for some much-required joy and boy do we need that lift, especially

Hockey in Canada — dynamics and surprising facts

 Ice Hockey is the official national winter sport in Canada, and it holds a significant place in Canadian culture as it is regarded as Canada’s national pastime. The NHL is regarded as the foremost professional ice hockey league in the world. In terms of revenue, it is the 5th richest

Who’s tops in an all-Canadian division?

 Last week in this very corner the thought was that an all-Canadian team realignment in the National Hockey League should not only be instituted this coming season but should also be a permanent thing. Great idea? Well, I thought so. To further the discussion, this week’s gripper deals with a

Oh Canada? Works for me

 It’s such a darn good idea, so let’s make it permanent. When/if/how/why/where hockey of the National Hockey League variety returns to vacant/half-full/capacity arenas, it’s looking like a sure thing that the Canadian clubs will all be lumped into the same division. Makes sense, obviously, from a logistical standpoint given the

Stick around long enough and you might make some friends

 With NHL play in total lockdown for the foreseeable future, we’re dipping into the junior ranks once again this week. Last session, as you might recall, I pasted together a list of my all-time favourite coaches and broadcasters and writers that I’ve come across in the 25-plus years in which

Questions and more questions surround NHL’s return

 Uncertainty is the only certainty. Welcome to the current landscape of professional sports. In hockey, the uncertainty surrounding an upcoming season prompts a few questions. Like: What if there is no season? Don’t kid yourself, this is a real possibility. National Hockey League owners have zero appetite to return to

Dorion strikes potential gold in NHL off-season

 Touch ‘em all Pierre, you’ll never hit a bigger home run. We’ll see, but early indications indicate Ottawa Senators’ General Manager Pierre Dorion swung for the fences the past two weeks and connected big time. (Hence the bit-of-a-stretch comparable to Tom Cheek’s famous call of Toronto Blue Jay slugger Joe

Senators take business-like approach to draft

 Scratch the thought that this was “one of the biggest nights in franchise history.” I’d argue (and we’ll see in the years to come) that this was THE biggest night in Ottawa Senators’ history. General Manager Pierre Dorion threw out the former line with some aplomb. I think he underestimates

No man is an Island(er)?

 People who know me know this – I generally like to bounce around from favourite team to favourite team. (I get called on it a lot, but I like to reference it as a privilege of age). Used to be the Ottawa Senators, but that was a little too homey.

Isles-Bruins East finale? You betcha’

 The Great Eight. With apologies for the steal on Alex Ovechkin’s nickname, that’s where we stand right now. Eight teams with a shot at Lord Stanley. After a qualifying round record of 5-3, Round 1 of the true playoffs produced a resounding 5-3 record (resounding?) of guess-taking. So be it.

Sucking in your glut

 How’s your glut? Getting enough glut? Is the glut cutting into your chores; things you should be doing around the house? Yes folks it’s a changed world after all. The result from the hockey side of things is . . . of course . . . there is a glut